How to Be a Teleprompter Professional

Video Transcript

"I'll now talk to you about being the true teleprompter professional. This is not an easy task. You have producers that will come in with lots of last minute changes to a script and the crew and the talent are ready to shoot. All eyes are on you as you make the changes. It's your job to smile, be patient, while being efficient. You'll have speakers come in with lots of changes to their speech ten minutes before show time. This is a live show and the audience is waiting just beyond those curtains in the ballroom. Again, your job is to smile and be patient while being efficient. Your job is also to always be prepared just like the Boy Scouts. You should always anticipate what your client's needs might be. And if it takes all night to correct that script or speech, than you should do it. If it takes six hours to set up monitors, string cables and help out the crew, than you should do it. And if you're required to be on location at five a.m., than do it. And most importantly, you should do it without complaints. You should always dress to fit the occasion. If you're working on a shoot and it's on a set, you could probably get away with jeans. But don't wear tattered t-shirts. If you're working on a show, black is usually the preferred dress attire or show black is what they call it now. Being friendly and pleasant is a must. So many of these producers are very stressed and thinking about a million things. You should be calm, making them feel comfortable. You are the last thing they need to worry about."